Nerd alert: The Force is with Toys"R"Us this September

Toys"R"Us is headed to a galaxy far, far away with its next promotion.

In anticipation of the premiere of the next Star Wars film in December, the retailer plans to transform its brick-n-mortar and online stores into Destination: Star Wars at 12:01am on Sept. 4. Toys"R"Us stores around the globe will open their doors on this day, Force Friday, for special festivities, providing customers of all ages the opportunity to be among the first to purchase must-have merchandise, receive exclusive giveaways and immerse themselves in all things Star Wars. In addition, the company's international flagship store, Toys"R"Us Times Square in New York City, will host a historic Star Wars toy exhibition on Sept. 3.

"Since the introduction of the first Star Wars toy in 1977, Toys"R"Us has served as the ultimate destination for Star Wars playthings, providing millions of kids and collectors worldwide with their most beloved memorabilia," said Richard Barry, Executive Vice President, Global Chief Merchandising Officer, Toys"R"Us, Inc. "Since then, Star Wars has become a time-honored franchise with loyal fan interest, making it a perennial, top-selling licensed property. With the upcoming introduction of the new Star Wars toy line, we're excited to welcome the next generation of fans into our stores around the world with exclusive products, special events, feature shops and giveaways."

Nearly a month ago, Walmart announed a similar initiative, including events, product launches, exclusives and giveaways, scheduled for Force Friday weekend.

With operations in 38 countries, Toys"R"Us is leveraging its global footprint and position as the toy authority to provide an unprecedented Star Wars experience worldwide. On Force Friday, Sept. 4, Toys"R"Us locations in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Spain and the U.K, will open at 12:01 a.m. to welcome shoppers. The first customers to line up for the big product debut will receive Star Wars giveaways, including an exclusive poster, as well as the chance to be among the first to purchase exclusive Star Wars merchandise in dedicated front-of-store feature shops.

Leading up to Force Friday, stores in each of these countries will count down the minutes to 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 4 with digital clocks, as well as Star Wars-themed microsites on each of their respective e-commerce pages. Social media users can follow the company's worldwide midnight openings on each country's social media channels, as well as via the Toys"R"Us U.S. Twitter channel,@Toysrus.

Midnight Openings Descend on Destination: Star Wars in the U.S.

When the clock strikes 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 4, all Toys"R"Us stores in the U.S. will open their doors, giving customers the opportunity to be among the first to purchase hundreds of new Star Wars playthings.Those eager to count down to the highly anticipated toy debut can now find digital clocks at all Toys"R"Us locations nationwide and online at Toysrus.com/DestinationStarWars. Beginning on Force Friday, dedicated Star Wars feature shops will be found at the front of all stores nationwide, featuring a combination of figures, construction sets, accessories and more, plus updated countdown clocks reset to tick off the minutes to the release of the new movie.

Additionally, gamers can now preorder Star Wars Battlefront, the ultimate Star Wars video game experience, along with Disney Infinity 3.0 Star Wars, at Toys"R"Us stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com/StarWars.

For the latest Destination: Star Wars news and updates, fanatics can follow @ToysRUs on Instagram and Twitter, as well as Facebook.com/Toysrus. Followers are encouraged to post photos of their Star Wars toy empire, themselves dressed in their best Star Wars cosplay and their midnight opening experience, as well as engage with one another and Toys"R"Us using #DestinationStarWars.

The biggest midnight opening celebration will take place at the company's international flagship store in New York City, Toys"R"Us Times Square, where fans of all ages are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite Star Wars character and take part in dozens of one-of-a-kind activities designed especially for Star Wars aficionados.

More information about the Star Wars promotions is here.